Best movies like To Write Love on Her Arms
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies related to To Write Love on Her Arms? Use your insights to steer others towards films and tv shows you've watched that they may enjoy too. Help expand the group of people recommending videos to one another. We value your input!
Plot Summary:
The story follows 19-year-old Renee who has always loved fairy tales: the idea of a princess, a hero and a happily ever after. But Renee’s life is that of a darker tale: she’s a young woman battling addiction, depression and self-injury. In a creative blend of artistic fantasy balanced with harsh reality, the movie follows Renee on her courageous journey towards recovery.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Fantasy, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, uplifting, serious, emotional, surreal, teen, realistic, extraordinary
Best tv shows and movies like To Write Love on Her Arms (2012):
Similar in 75%
The Music Never Stopped (2011)
Plot Summary:
Henry struggles to bond with his estranged son, Gabriel, who suffers from a brain tumor that prevents him from forming new memories. With Gabriel unable to shed the beliefs and interests that caused their physical and emotional distance, Henry must learn to embrace his son's choices and try to connect with him through music.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: uplifting, sincere, touching, surprise ending, spiritual, mind blowing, indie film, therapeutic, serious, emotional
Similar in 75%
Within These Walls (2001)
Plot Summary:
Female prisoners train dogs to aid people with disabilities in a program started by a nun (Laura Dern).
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 278
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sentimental, uplifting, touching, feel good, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 80%
Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story (2006)
Plot Summary:
In the Lifetime® movie, THE FANTASIA BARRINO STORY: LIFE IS NOT A FAIRYTALE, a single teenage mother overcomes all odds - sexual abuse, poverty and illiteracy - by relying on her spectacular singing voice. She ultimately gains national prominence as the winner of a hit talent show. Fantasia Barrino plays herself in this modern true Cinderella story. Also starring Loretta Devine, Kadeem Hardison and Viola Davis.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 670
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 90%
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010)
Plot Summary:
A biography of Ian Dury, who was stricken with polio at a young age and defied expectations by becoming one of the founders of the punk-rock scene in Britain in the 1970s.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: UK
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, semi serious, cult classic, teen, offbeat, biting, uplifting, suspense
Similar in 83%
A Time for Dancing (2002)
Plot Summary:
Their love of dance, and their friendship, is challenged for two high school girls when one is diagnosed with cancer.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 952
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sincere, emotional, sentimental, touching, sad, serious, realistic
Similar in 83%
The Runaways (2010)
Plot Summary:
Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, two rebellious teenagers from Southern California, become the frontwomen for the Runaways -- the now-legendary group that paved the way for future generations of female rockers. Under the Svengalilike influence of impresario Kim Fowley, the band becomes a huge success.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: stylized, sexy, teen, emotional, captivating, independent film, aesthetic, erotic, scary, lgbt cinema
Similar in 78%
God's Army (2000)
Plot Summary:
Life as a Mormon missionary isn't what 19-year-old Brandon Allen expected: so many rules and so few successes. Los Angeles is as unrepentant as Sodom and Gomorrah. He's forced to share a small apartment with five young prank-loving missionaries and, to top it off, his first companion, 29-year-old Marcus Dalton, proves to be a harsh mentor. After only one day as a missionary, Allen is ready to hang up his necktie and go home. Allen becomes a part of the drama occurring under the everyday surface of missionary life. After only a few intense days, Allen finds faith he didn't know he had, and courage he didn't know he lacked. He learns that the time has come to put away childish things, and to become more than just a man--to become a man of God.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, realistic, psychological, uplifting, serious, emotional, independent film, contemplative, christian film
Similar in 86%
La Bamba (1987)
Plot Summary:
Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of singer Ritchie Valens whose life was cut short by a plane crash.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: inspirational, touching, hispanic, intense, suspense, sentimental, serious, sincere, captivating, emotional
Similar in 76%
Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict (2013)
Plot Summary:
A feature film about Benjamin Britten, released as part of the 100 year celebrations of his birth. Britten is the most performed British composer worldwide. This film premiered at Gresham's School, which he attended, and focuses on how his life-long pacifism influenced his life and music. Written and directed by Tony Britten (In Love With Alama Cogan), narrated by John Hurt and with a superb cast of young people, including many supporting roles taken by students of Gresham's School, the film weaves dramatisation with a documentary narrative.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 41
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music, War
Country: UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sincere, uplifting, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
Death of a Superhero (2011)
Plot Summary:
A dying 15-year-old boy draws stories of an invincible superhero as he struggles with his mortality.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany, Ireland
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, sincere, sad, cult classic, teen, realistic
Similar in 87%
My Name Is Bill W. (1989)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true story of Bill W. (James Woods), a successful stock broker whose life falls apart after the stock crash of the 20's and how he comes to grips with his alcoholism. Along with a fellow alcoholic (James Garner) he forms a support group that would eventually become Alcoholics Anonymous.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, sincere, uplifting, thought provoking, serious, spiritual, contemplative
Similar in 87%
For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000)
Plot Summary:
In the early 1970s, Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval (Andy Garcia) is torn between his own musical dreams and the dreams of his wife, Marianela (Mía Maestro), a fervent supporter of the ideals of the Castro revolution. Also starring Charles S. Dutton as Dizzy Gillespie and José Zúñiga as Paquito D'Rivera, this gripping jazz biopic is at once a detailed portrait of a musician and a stinging critique.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, realistic, sincere, serious, independent film
Similar in 81%
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Plot Summary:
Biography of Loretta Lynn, a country and western singer that came from poverty to fame.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, emotional, realistic, inspirational, factual, sweet, uplifting, sincere, feel good
Similar in 76%
The Soloist (2009)
Plot Summary:
A Los Angeles journalist befriends a homeless Juilliard-trained musician, while looking for a new article for the paper.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 55000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: inspirational, sincere, touching, emotional, sad, heartbreaking, melancholic, intense, serious, realistic
Similar in 76%
If I Stay (2014)
Plot Summary:
Mia Hall, a talented young cellist, thought the most difficult decision she would ever have to make would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at prestigious Juilliard or follow her heart to be with the love of her life, Adam, a rock singer/guitarist. However, a car wreck changes everything in an instant, and now Mia's life hangs in the balance. Suspended between life and death, Mia faces a choice that will decide her future.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 127000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Music, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, tear jerker, sad, uplifting, teen, sincere, heartbreaking, romantic, bleak
Similar in 76%
Mockingbird Don't Sing (2001)
Plot Summary:
On November 4, 1970 on The CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite reported on a true, horrific story that was about to rock the country. A 13-year-old girl was discovered in the small Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia who was still in diapers, barely able to walk and unable to speak. Kept in severe isolation by her parents with virtually no human contact for more than 10 years, she was confined to her bedroom, tied to her potty-chair and left to fend for herself.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: psychological, uplifting, touching, realistic, sincere, thought provoking, depressing, dark drama, serious, emotional
Similar in 84%
The Least Among You (2009)
Plot Summary:
Black college graduate Richard Kelly reluctantly accepts a plea bargain requiring him to spend two semesters at an all-white seminary after he's wrongly accused of crimes committed during the 1965 Watts riots. Facing bigotry on all sides, he's close to cracking until he meets an elderly custodian who helps him navigate the trials of racism.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 176
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, captivating, emotional, thought provoking, serious, realistic, contemplative, independent film, period piece
Similar in 87%
King of Salsa (2006)
Plot Summary:
The rise and fall of salsa singer, Héctor Lavoe (1946-1993), as told from the perspective of his wife Puchi, who looks back from 2002.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing, informative, sentimental, vintage
Similar in 75%
Ray (2004)
Plot Summary:
Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered couping gospel and country together.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 155000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 152 min
Plot tags: inspirational, touching, sincere, emotional, captivating, sentimental, dramatic, psychological, motivational, romantic
Similar in 89%
Bird (1988)
Plot Summary:
Saxophone player Charlie Parker comes to New York in 1940. He is quickly noticed for his remarkable way of playing. He becomes a drug addict but his loving wife Chan tries to help him.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 161 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, psychological, factual, stylized, sincere, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
Similar in 86%
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998)
Plot Summary:
In the mid-80s, three women (each with an attorney) arrive at the office of New York entertainment manager, Morris Levy. One is an L.A. singer, formerly of the Platters; one is a petty thief from Philly; one teaches school in a small Georgia town. Each claims to be the widow of long-dead doo-wop singer-songwriter Frankie Lyman, and each wants years of royalties due to his estate, money Levy has never shared. During an ensuing civil trial, flashbacks tell the story of each one's life with Lyman, a boyish, high-pitched, dynamic performer, lost to heroin. Slowly, the three wives establish their own bond.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: emotional, inspirational, melancholic, touching, sentimental, serious, realistic, cult classic, independent film, entertaining
Similar in 81%
Selena (1997)
Plot Summary:
In this biographical drama, Selena Quintanilla is born into a musical Mexican-American family in Texas. Her father, Abraham, realizes that his young daughter is talented and begins performing with her at small venues. She finds success and falls for her guitarist, Chris Perez, who draws the ire of her father. Seeking mainstream stardom, Selena begins recording an English-language album which, tragically, she would never complete.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: touching, sad, factual, sincere, emotional, hispanic, sentimental, historical drama, informative, uplifting
Similar in 85%
Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story (2013)
Plot Summary:
TLC's humble beginnings in Atlanta quickly led to an unprecedented rise to fame in the 1990's as one of the world's most talented, celebrated and highest-selling female groups of all time. Through very public and high profile success, turmoil and tragedy, TLC left an indelible stamp of female empowerment that changed the face of the music industry forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, captivating
Similar in 83%
Speak (2004)
Plot Summary:
Freshman high-school student Melinda has refused to speak ever since she called the cops on a popular summer party. With her old friends snubbing her for being a rat, and her parents too busy to notice her troubles, she folds into herself, trying to hide her secret: that star senior Andy raped her at the party. But Melinda does manage to find solace in her art class headed by Mr. Freeman.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: touching, psychological, sentimental, independent film, sincere, sad, depressing, teen, thought provoking, intellectual
Similar in 87%
Mask (1985)
Plot Summary:
A boy with a massive facial skull deformity and biker gang mother attempts to live as normal a life as possible under the circumstances.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: uplifting, captivating, sentimental, touching, emotional, depressing, sad, compassionate, sincere, realistic
Similar in 83%
The Brooke Ellison Story (2004)
Plot Summary:
Rendered a quadriplegic since a child from a near-fatal neck injury, a young girl fights against all odds to succeed in life from grade school to her acceptance into college under the assistance of her loyal and dedicated mother.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: sincere, uplifting, sentimental, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, saga
Similar in 89%
Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues (1984)
Plot Summary:
Set in 1898, Cambridge, Massachusetts, depicts Annie Sullivan Macy supporting her student Helen Keller at Radcliffe College.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 154
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, uplifting, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
Similar in 84%
Living Proof (2008)
Plot Summary:
Living Proof is a 2008 Lifetime Television movie, directed by Dan Ireland, starring Harry Connick, Jr. The film is based on the true life story of Dr. Dennis Slamon and the book HER-2: The Making of Herceptin, a Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer by Robert Bazell. Vivienne Radkoff wrote the film script, and is also one of the film's executive producers. Renée Zellweger is another executive producer, together with Neil Meron and Craig Zadan. Tammy Blanchard, Amanda Bynes, Jennifer Coolidge, Angie Harmon, John Benjamin Hickey, Regina King, Swoosie Kurtz, Paula Cale Lisbe, Amy Madigan, Bernadette Peters, and Trudie Styler are featured in the supporting cast. The film premiered on October 18, 2008, for Lifetime's "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" public service and advocacy campaign, during the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: sincere, uplifting, touching, emotional, light, serious, realistic, experimental
Similar in 76%
Whitney (2015)
Plot Summary:
Chronicles Whitney Houston's rise to fame and turbulent relationship with husband Bobby Brown.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, touching, serious, sincere, entertaining
Similar in 75%
The Ron Clark Story (2006)
Plot Summary:
Matthew Perry is real-life inspiration Ron Clark, a passionate and innovative teacher who leaves his small hometown to teach in one of Harlem's toughest schools. But to break through to this students, Clark must use unconventional methods, including his ground-breaking classroom rules, to drive them toward their potential.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: uplifting, serious, emotional, realistic, inspirational, touching, teen, indie film, learning